A vehicle may include a body and exterior panels supported on the body. The exterior panels may be, for example, rocker panels, door panels, fenders, etc. Upon a side impact of a vehicle, an impact force created from the side impact may deform the exterior panels. In this case, the force may be delivered through the exterior panels to the body, and the body may absorb some of the impact force during the side impact.
Depending on the direction of impact, and magnitude and direction of energy absorption by the exterior panels, the force delivered to the body may be uneven and in a variety of directions. For example, the impact force may include a horizontal component, i.e., a cross-vehicle direction, and/or a vertical component, i.e., in a direction upward or downward. The magnitude of these horizontal and vertical components of the impact force may influence the deformation of the exterior panels. For example, during the side impact, the impact force may twist, bend, and/or crush the structural components of the vehicle.
The design of the impact absorbing capability of the exterior panels and the frame may be subject to several logistical constraints, such as packaging constraints, manufacturing constraints, vehicle assembly constraints, cost constraints, etc. Therefore, there remains an opportunity to design vehicle components that may be capable of absorbing various impact forces that may also satisfy logistical constraints.